Album Review

Spike Robinson's return to the jazz scene in the early '80s late in his 34-year period as an engineer (during which he only worked part-time as a musician) was a welcome event. His cool tone (very much in the "Four Brothers" tradition of Stan Getz and Zoot Sims) was fully formed, and he could swing as hard as any of the younger players. For this Capri set, Robinson is teamed in London with guitarist Martin Taylor, bassist Dave Green and drummer Spike Wells for mostly concise renditions of eight veteran standards; only Horace Silver's "Opus De Funk" was written after the swing era. Pleasing music that has not yet been reissued on CD.

Biography

Born: 16 January 1930 in Kenosha, WI

Genre: Jazz

Years Active: '50s, '80s, '90s

Spike Robinson was just about the last major tenor stylist who played in the Four Brothers' cool-toned style popularized by Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Al Cohn. The remarkable part is that Robinson seemed to emerge fully formed in 1981 when he was already past 50. Originally he started on alto when he was 12 and, after being in the military, in 1950 Robinson played with some of England's top bop musicians, recording with them. However, after he returned to the U.S., Robinson got a degree in engineering...